1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to (i) a method for forming images using a silver halide color photographic photosensitive material suitable for digital exposure, particularly excelling in pressure property and capable of producing photograph-like images when conducting laser scanning exposure and low replenishing processing; (ii) a method for forming images using a silver halide color photographic photosensitive material suitable for rapid processing at a low replenishing amount, capable of obtaining stable performance and high-quality images, particularly upon low replenishing rapid processing, and a silver halide color photographic photosensitive material preferably applied to the method for forming images; and (iii) a method for forming images using the silver halide color photographic photosensitive material suitable for rapid processing, particularly a method for forming images using silver halide color photographic photosensitive material, capable of consistently obtaining fine white background and coloration upon rapid processing.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the color printing field, which utilizes color photographic paper, has witnessed remarkable changes with the progression of digitalization. For example, digital exposure systems utilizing laser scanning exposure are showing an outstanding increase in popularity in comparison with analog exposure systems, which directly conduct printing with color printers from processed color negative films. The digital exposure system is unique in that it is capable of obtaining high-quality images with image processing, and it has contributed significantly to the improvement in quality of color printing using color photographic paper.
Further, with the rapid popularization of digital cameras, it is becoming increasingly apparent that high-quality color prints can be easily obtained with electronic recording media. This is considered an important factor in the media's future growth.
Similarly, color printing techniques such as ink jet, sublimation, color xerography and thermo-autography have respectively progressed and are widely accepted as color printing methods that provide excellent photographic image quality. Among these systems, the digital exposure system is characterized by its use of color photographic paper, which produces high image quality, high productivity and long-lasting images. There is a demand to further improve these characteristics and provide photographs of higher quality, more expediently and at further reduced cost.
Particularly, if it were possible to receive digital camera recording media at a shop counter, finish high-quality printing in a short period of time of about several minutes and return the same in situ, that is, if one-stop service for color prints was realized, the superiority of color printing using color photographic paper would doubtlessly increase. Further, when rapid processability of color photographic paper is improved, printing equipment of higher productivity despite smaller size and reduced cost can be used and increased popularity of one-stop color printing service can be further expected. In view of the above, it is particularly important to improve the rapid processability of color photographic paper.
In order to enable one-stop color printing service using color photographic paper, it is necessary to consider various aspects such as shortening of exposure time, shortening of so-called latent image time from exposure to the start of the processing, and shortening the time from processing to drying. Accordingly, various proposals have been made so far regarding each of these aspects. In these proposals, the time required for exposure per sheet print is substantially shorter when compared with other systems and furthermore, there are no significant problems in the performance of regular printers used in shops. Projects are being undertaken in order to make the latent image time as short as possible in the printer. Further, shortening of the time from processing to drying is also undertaken and proposals have been made for realizing rapid processing by improving aspects such as the compositions of the processing solution or processing temperature, stirring conditions for the processing solution, wringing of the photosensitive material, and the drying method.
Moreover, there are various problems that accompany rapid processing such as jamming during transportation of the photosensitive material of the automatic developing apparatus. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 11-327109 discloses that transportation performance is improved with the use of SEBS series elastomers having high frictional coefficients in the nip roller material.
Usually, the silver halide emulsion used in the color photographic paper has a high silver chloride content in order to satisfy the demand for rapid processability. The incorporation of various metal complexes in the silver halide emulsion having high silver chloride content has been disclosed. A known technique is to dope an Ir complex in order to improve high illuminance reciprocity law failure of silver chloride emulsion and obtain high contrast gradation even at high illuminance.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication (JP-B) No. 7-34103 discloses that the problem of latent image sensitization is overcome by providing a localized phase possessing a high silver bromide content and doping an Ir complex therein. U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,272 discloses that law illuminance reciprocity failure can be decreased by incorporating a metal complex containing NO or NS in a ligand. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,360,712, 5,457,021, and 5,462,849 disclose that the phase reciprocity law failure can be decreased by incorporating a metal complex comprising specified organic ligands.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,372,926, 5,255,630, 5,255,451, 5,597,686, 5,480,771, 5,474,888, 5,500,335, 5,783,373 and 5,783,378 disclose that the performance such as reciprocity law failure characteristic of high silver chloride emulsions can be improved by the combination of an Ir complex or a metal complex containing NO as the ligand. JP-A Nos. 2000-250156, 2001-92066 and 2002-31866 disclose an emulsion technique of excellent latent image stability after exposure by the combined use of an Ir complex and an Rh complex.
Further, JP-A Nos. 58-95736, 58-108533, 60-222844, 60-222845, 62-253143, 62-253144, 62-253166, 62-254139, 63-46440, 63-46441, and 63-89840, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,820,624, 4,865,962, 5,399,475, and 5,284,743 disclose that high sensitivity can be obtained by localizing and incorporating a phase having high silver bromide content in various forms into an emulsion with a high silver chloride content.
Further, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,726,005 and 5,736,310 disclose that emulsions having high sensitivity and less high illuminance reciprocity law failure can be obtained by emulsions containing an I band having a maximum density on the sub-surface of the high silver chloride emulsion. European Patent (EP) No. 0,928,988A discloses in the examples that an emulsion possessing superior reciprocity law failure and temperature dependence upon exposure or pressure property can be obtained by incorporating a specified compound to particles forming I band at 93% step of grain formation.
However, the known techniques described above do not mention improvement of the pressure sensitized streaks when conducting laser beam exposure in a short latent image time of 12 seconds or less.
Incidentally, while improving productivity, it is also important to improve the stability of the color printing quality. Since the quality of printing usually changes with rapid processing, it is important to design color photographic paper suitable for rapid processing.
A silver halide emulsion with a high silver chloride content is used in view of the demand for rapid processing. Various improvements have been made in improving the stability of the quality of the silver halide color photographic photosensitive material using a silver halide emulsion of a high silver chloride content.
Techniques for improving the storability of silver halide photosensitive materials having high silver chloride content have been studied. It has been known to incorporate various compounds, such as cyclic ketones having double bonds in which amino group or hydroxyl group substitutes on both terminals adjacent with the carbonyl group, as described in JP-A No. 11-327094. Sulfo-substituted catechol or hydroquinones are described in JP-A No. 11-143011, hydroxyl amines represented by the general formula (A) in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,741, and water soluble reducing agents represented by the general formulae (I)-(III) in JP-A No. 11-102045. Further, JP-A No. 7-311450 describes that the use of a specified triazine series compound as a gelatin hardner is effective.
Further, as mentioned above, a service system for electronic recording media has been developed. Here, recording digital images photographed, for example, with a digital camera, are brought to a shop counter and high image quality printing with a silver salt printing method using color photographic paper in situ and returning the same is conducted. The demand for this service has increased more and more, hence if the time required for print finishing in the silver salt printing system can be shortened to a level comparable with other printing systems, the foregoing advantageous features of the silver salt printing system can be profitably utilized.
Accordingly, in order to shorten the print finishing time in the silver salt printing system and to realize the returning in situ of a color photographic paper printed with the silver salt printing system using color photographic paper, it is important to shorten the overall processing time, from exposure to completion. However, it has been found that when the time from the completion of exposure to the starting of color development (latent image time) is shortened, the coloring density (particularly of yellow) fluctuates even with slight changes in surrounding temperature or time. Accordingly, stable printed coloration can not be obtained and further, fluctuation of the coloration density becomes very noticeable when the coloring development time is shortened.
While JP-A Nos. 8-50341, and 2000-321730 disclose specified spectral sensitizing dyes applied to the color photographic paper thereby enabling excellent color reproduction in rapid processing, they do not indicate that the fluctuation of the coloration density caused by slight changes in the surrounding temperature or time in a short latent image can be decreased. Further, these techniques do not address a different problem, namely that the density varies in the white background.
Further, as previously described, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,726,005 and 5,736,310 disclose that emulsions at high sensitivity and of less high luminance reciprocity can be obtained by emulsions containing I having a maximum density on the sub-surface of the high silver chloride emulsion. EP No. 0928988A discloses in the examples that an emulsion possessing excellent reciprocity law failure and temperature dependence and pressure property during exposure can be obtained by incorporating a specified compound to grains forming the I band at 93% step in the course of grain formation.
However, while the variation of the coloration density can be improved by combination with a specified spectral sensitizing agent, these inventions do not mention the variation of the coloration density caused by slight changes of the surrounding temperature or time in a case of short latent image time, and, additionally, do not mention worsening of the variation of the density in the white background.